Olympic Hopefuls

Meet Team U.S.A.: Olympians' Favorite Pump-Up Songs & More (PHOTOS)

What do Olympians listen to in order to get their energy up win? Team U.S.A. shares their favorite pump-up songs, iPod playlists, and more.

Matthew Stockman/Getty

By Kevin FallonFeb 08, 2014

galleries/2014/02/08/meet-team-u-s-a-olympians-favorite-pump-up-songs-more-photos/gal-oly-songs-cook_mduode — It takes a lot to be an Olympian. Hard work. Determination. And a killer iPod playlist. While our steady rotation of Beyoncé and Britney may suffice to get us through our 20 minutes on the elliptical, we asked the real athletes—the members of Team U.S.A. going for gold in Sochi—what they listen to when training to get ready for competition. Here’s what they had to say.

(And be sure to follow all things Olympics on NBCOlympics.com and TeamUSA.com.)
Matthew Stockman/Getty

galleries/2014/02/08/meet-team-u-s-a-olympians-favorite-pump-up-songs-more-photos/gal-oly-songs-gold_bplhvv — Sport: Figure Skating
Top 5 Songs on My iPod:
"Girl on Fire" - Alicia Keys
"Try" - Pink
"Anything Can Happen" - Ellie Goulding
"Stay" - Rihanna and Mikky Ekko
"Little Talks" - Of Monsters and Men
Favorite Pump Up Song: "Girl on Fire" - Alicia Keys
You Might Not Know That I...: Can juggle balls and ring rings, but I'm not so great with bowling pins!

Brian Snyder/Reuters

galleries/2014/02/08/meet-team-u-s-a-olympians-favorite-pump-up-songs-more-photos/gal-oly-songs-celski_tuvdb0 — Sport: Speedskating/Short Track
Top 5 Songs on My iPod:
"Don't Cha Know" - Erykah Badu
"Hol Up" - Kendrick Lamar
"Weird Wishes/Arpeggi" - Radiohead
"Gettin' Up" - Q-Tip
So Far to Go - J Dilla
Favorite Pump Up Song: "No Alibi" - The Roots
You Might Not Know That My...: Nickname is Celskeet.
Chris Nicoll-USA TODAY Sports/Reuters

galleries/2014/02/08/meet-team-u-s-a-olympians-favorite-pump-up-songs-more-photos/gal-oly-songs-ariellegold_vcauuu — Sport: Snowboarding/Halfpipe/Slopestyle
Top 5 Songs on My iPod:
"Soundtrack 2 My Life" - Kid Cudi
"Pursuit of Happiness" - Kid Cudi
"Not Afraid" - Eminem
"The Funeral" - Band of Horses
"99 Problems" - Hugo
Favorite Pump Up Song: "Radioactive" - Imagine Dragons
You Might Not Know That My...: Favorite healthy food is mango.
Richard Bord/Getty

galleries/2014/02/08/meet-team-u-s-a-olympians-favorite-pump-up-songs-more-photos/gal-oly-songs-knight_n1oyvs — Sport: Ice Hockey
Top 5 Songs on My iPod:
"Up All Night" - Drake
"Shot For Me" - Drake
"Turn on the Lights" - Future
"Mr. Jones" - Counting Crows
"Springsteen" - Eric Church
Favorite Pump Up Song: "The Prayer" - Kid Cudi
You Might Not Know That I...: Love going to the rodeo and even bought my own lasso to practice roping my brothers.
Tom Szczerbowski-USA TODAY Sports/Reuters

galleries/2014/02/08/meet-team-u-s-a-olympians-favorite-pump-up-songs-more-photos/gal-oly-songs-ligety_p63its — Sport: Alpine Skiing
Top 5 Songs on My iPod:
"Just What I Needed" - Cars
"What's the Difference" - Dr. Dre
"Radioactive" - Imagine Dragons
"Thrift Shop" - Macklemore
"Wolf Like Me" - TV on the Radio
Favorite Pump Up Song: "Radioactive" - Imagine Dragons
You Might Not Know That I...: Like to waterski (when I have time).
Sindy Thomas/Agence Zoom/Getty

galleries/2014/02/08/meet-team-u-s-a-olympians-favorite-pump-up-songs-more-photos/gal-oly-songs-farrington_e1h10u — Sport: Snowboarding/Halfpipe
Top 5 Songs on My iPod:
"She Wolf" - Shakira
"Bulletproof" - La Roux
"Cudderisback" - Kid Cudi
"Psychic City" - Yacht
"Shoop" - Salt-n-Pepa
Favorite Pump Up Song: "Bulletproof" - La Roux
You Might Not Know That I...: Am excited to see the curling team in action!

Natalia Kolesnikova/AFP/Getty

galleries/2014/02/08/meet-team-u-s-a-olympians-favorite-pump-up-songs-more-photos/gal-oly-songs-cook_sjtjum — Sport: Freestyle skiing, aerials
Top 5 Songs on My iPod:
"On Top of the World" - Imagine Dragons
"Sound of Sunshine" - Michael Franti
"Punching in a Dream" - Naked and Famous
"Stand by Me" - Playing for Change
"Boston" - Vampire Weekend
Pump Up Song: Anything by Adele
You Might Not Know That I...: Love to indulge with a root beer float.
Matthew Stockman/Getty

galleries/2014/02/08/meet-team-u-s-a-olympians-favorite-pump-up-songs-more-photos/gal-oly-songs-mcphie_wnpqqy — Sport: Freesytle Skiing, Moguls
Top 5 Songs on My iPod:
"This" - Darius Rucker
"Home" - Phillip Phillips
"Stay Stay Stay" - Taylor Swift
"The Mountain" - Trevor Hall
"The Fear" - Ben Howard
Favorite Pump Up Song: "The Fear" - Ben Howard
You Might Not Know That My...: Favorite actor is Ryan Gosling.

Cameron Spencer/Getty

galleries/2014/02/08/meet-team-u-s-a-olympians-favorite-pump-up-songs-more-photos/gal-oly-songs-purdy_jz9ihg — Sport: Snowboarding/Paralympian
Top 4 Songs on My iPod:
"Sail" - Awolnation
"Intro" - XX
"Madness" - Muse
"Enter Sandman" - Metallica
You Might Not Know That I...: Country clog dance with prosthetic legs and still have all my moves!
Doug Pensinger/Getty

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